Philadelphia 76ers: Was it a summer of blunders or success?
Bye Bye Butler
July 6, 2019: Signed Jimmy Butler as a free agent.
July 6: As part of a four-team trade, the Philadelphia 76ers traded Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat; the Philadelphia 76ers traded Mathias Lessort to the Los Angeles Clippers; the Los Angeles Clippers traded cash to the Miami Heat; the Miami Heat traded a 2023 first-round draft pick to the Los Angeles Clippers; the Miami Heat traded Josh Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The cry among most fans was ‘Run it back’ after coming so close in the 2019 playoffs. A lucky shot and Embiid’s bad tummy, many thought, ,were the only things that stopped the Sixers from winning the NBA championship.
Bring back all the starters, add some necessities (like a backup center) and go plan that parade down Broad Street.
However, that dream ended when Jimmy Butler was shipped to the Miami Heat. As part of a four-team trade, the Sixers got Josh Richardson from the Heat.
Richardson, like Butler, a 6-foot-5ish wing, is younger, and had a much cheaper contract than Butler would have cost. He just was not as good.
What we thought then: Great for Miami, Sixers not ideal.
Considering his contract demands and the fact he was a 30-year-old with lots of wear and tear, some thought it was a great move by Brand to pick up a promising young player (on a cheap contract!) for a guy headed out the door.
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Miami was doing backflips over the deal. With Dwanye Wade retiring and coming off a season they did not make the playoffs, to land a new superstar in Butler was greeted with cheers when he announced he would be taking his talents to South Beach.
Why Butler and the Sixers could not get together on a contract is, to this day, a mystery. No one on the outside even knows if he was really offered a max contract. Some national sources say yes, others no.
Simply put, Richardson is a nice player and as Lucas Johnson put it, a ‘very good consolation prize‘ for a guy who was not staying, so it was thought to be a B+ to A- move at the time.
What we think now: Short term mistake, long term good deal.
If you are talking purely would the 76ers be a better team this season if they had Jimmy Butler instead of Josh Richardson, the answer is a resounding yes.
No one has stepped up to be the closer, the role Butler performed in the fourth quarter. The Sixers offense at crunch time is: look for Embiid (if healthy enough to play) or pass the ball around aimlessly hoping someone gets open. Butler being able to take over a game would be missed even more in the playoffs.
Butler’s close relationship with Embiid might have helped him out of his early funk as well. Butler is certainly not afraid to call out teammates who he feels are not giving it their all. In a Sixers locker room that appears leaderless, he might have helped.
Of course Butler was not exactly buddy-buddy with coach Brett Brown, so who knows how that dynamic would have worked out.
Miami has been the surprise team of the East. At the lockdown they are in fourth place, ahead of the 76ers, even though outside of Butler and all-star center Bam Adebayo, the team is composed of mostly ex-G-League players and rookies.
Richardson is what coach Brett Brown calls ‘the glue’ of the team. He has had some injury problems and, like most players when they arrive in Philly, is not shooting as well as he did in his previous stop. However, he plays good defense, can be used at multiple positions and is a good locker room guy who has tried to fill the leadership void.
Richardson is certainly a ‘nice’ addition, but he is not Jimmy Butler. If you are looking solely at the Sixers having the best possible chance to win the NBA title this year, the trade was a mistake for Philly.
Now long-term, Richardson is three years younger so who ‘won’ this trade could change in the future. In a couple of years, Butler’s might be in decline and the Heat are stuck with his huge contract, while Richardson would be in his prime.
Also, while thinks are honky-dorry down in Miami right now, Butler tends to wear out his welcome after a few years, if past history is any indication.